Book Review: Wake

by quillwielder

The much awaited Watersong series by Amanda Hocking has finally been release into the world with the first instalment, Wake.

Beautiful. Fearless. Dangerous. They’re the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Thea, and Lexi have caught everyone’s attention, including the eye of practical Harper. But it’s her sister, Gemma, they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma seems to have it all – carefree, pretty, and falling in love with the boy next door. But her greatest passion has always been the water. She craves late night swims under the stars, where she can be alone yet belong to the sea. Lately she’s had company. Penn, Thea, and Lexi spend their nights dancing, singing, and partying on the cove–and one night Gemma joins them. When she wakes up groggy on the beach the next morning, she knows something has changed.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. As she uncovers the truth about her new mythical powers, Gemma is forced to choose between staying with those she loves or entering a dark world brimming with unimaginable secrets.

I was intrigued by this book because from the blurb you know it’s a Paranormal Romance, but what it does reveal is what the Paranormal creatures are. And it wasn’t until about Chapter Fourteen that you finally find out what these mysterious girls really are. It’s not annoying at all, in fact it drove me to read more and more because Hocking gives little clues throughout the story and you simply need to keep reading to find out what the mystery is.

I also liked that though the story is about Gemma’s transformation into a paranormal creature (I won’t spoil what it is) it is equally as much about Harper as well. It’s written in third person omniscient so you get the thoughts of mostly Gemma and Harper, but also the occasional thought from the other characters too. I think the story plays on (and will continue to play on) the theme of family/ sisterhood. Gemma’s bond with her blood sister, Harper, or her magical bond with Penn, Thea and Lexi.

There is of course romance for both sisters on the horizon that plays out very nicely. Not to mention the added mystery of Harper’s interest Daniel. It has a good combination of romance and paranormal (hence Paranormal Romance). I know that might sound strange but sometimes books of the same genre are overly romantic to the point that it might as well be Mills and Boon with the occasional vampire. Wake isn’t like this at all. The paranormal is strong which is what I prefer, but it still has a good amount of romance to have you ‘aww’ing.

Overall this will be yet another hit for Hocking. Especially because this is the first novel she’s written that hadn’t been previously self-published. Fans of Hocking will be dying to read something new from her and I think they’ll be pleased with what she’s produced. I still love her Trylle series better, but that’s just me. Wake is still a great book worth the read and worth adding to your Paranormal Romance collection.